Railway-switch-operating apparatus



Jun 11, 1929.

w. c MCWHIRTER RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Ma rch 3, 1928 I INVENTORZ June 1929- w. c. MCWHIRTER RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS Filed March 3, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR'. W.C./"lc.Wh1Ptcr5 Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,716,787 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. MCWHIRTER, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-SWITCH-OPERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 3,

My invention relates to railway switch operating apparatus, and has for an object the provision of novel and improved means for permitting manual operation of a poweroperated switch.

I will now describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a view showing in side elevation one form of apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line IIIIII of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 4 is an end view of the sleeve 20 forming part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 Fig. 5 is a plan view of a worm gear 5 forming part of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 1s a plan view showing a beveled gear 6 forming part of the apparatus shown in Flg. 3.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the views.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the reference character 1 designates a box or easing containing a vertical shaft 4, the lower end of which terminates in a crank 17 provided with a downwardly projecting pin 3. This crank and pin co-operate with suitable apparatus for actuating and look ing a railway switch, which apparatus is not shown in the accompanying drawings, but which may, for example, be similarto the apparatus shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,293,290, granted to lVilliam Zabel on February 4, 1919. In the said patent the crank and the pin 58 correspond respectively to the crank 17 and the pin 3 in the present disclosure.

concentrically mounted with respect to the shaft 4 is a worm gear 5 and a bevel gear 6. The worm gear. 5 meshes with a worm 14 which is operatively connected with an electric motor 8 through the medium of suitable reducing gearing 9. The bevel gear 6 meshes with a secondbevel gear 7 which is fixed to a shaft 16 mounted in a boss in a wall of the box 1. 'This shaft projects through the wall andcarries at its outer end a hand lever 15 which is at times used for manual operation of the railway switch.

,Manually operable means are provided for the inner surface of the sleeve 20 is pro-.

vided with corresponding splines 20 (see Fig. 4), whereby the sleeve is constrained to rotate with the shaft but is free to slide longitudinally thereon.

The lower end of the sleeve 20 is provided with outside splines'20 and 20. Referring particularly to Fig. 4, it will be noted'that the angular length of each spline 20 is 45, but that the angular length of spline 20 is 60. The worm gear 5 is provided with inwardly projecting splines 53 5 5 and 5. The angular distance between each two ad- ;jacent splines is 46, except that the angular distance between splines 5 and 5 is 61. The inner surface of the bevel gear 6 is likewise provided with splines 6*, 6 6 and 6, the angular distance between each two adjacent splinesbeing 46, except that the angular distance between splines 6 and 6 is 61. It follows that the splines 20 and 20 on the sleeve 20 will fit between the splines on' the worm gear 5 when and only when these two elements bear such angular rela tions that the spline 20 lies between the splines 5 and 5 Similarly, the splines on the sleeve 20 will'fit between the splines in the bevel gear 6 when and only when these parts are in such relative angular positions that the spline 20 lies between the splines 6 and 6.

It follows from the foregoing that when the sleeve 20 is in one longitudinal position on the shaft 4, the splines on the outside of this sleeve connect the worm gear 5 with the shaft 4, whereas when the sleeve is in another longitudinal position the splines on this sleeve connect the bevel gear 6 with the shaft 4.

Manually operable means are provided for sliding the sleeve 20 ontheshaft 4. As here shown, this is accomplished by a shaft 10 which is mounted in the casing 1 and the inner end of which carries a pin 12 eecentrically located with respect to the axis of the shaft. This pin projects into a circumferential slot 2O in the sleeve 20. The outer end of the shaft 10 carries a manually operable selector lever 13. The inner end of the shaft 10 is also provided with a cam 11 which operates a circuit controller 19 through the medium of a pivotally mounted yoke 18, a crank 18", and a stem 18. This circuit controller is used to govern the supply of current to the electricmotor 8.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Normally the selector lever 13 is in such position that the pin 12 is at the lowest point in its path of movement, so that the sleeve 20 likewise occupies its lowermost position wherein the splines on the outer surface of this sleeve mesh with the splines in the hub of the worm gear 5. This worm gear is therefore operatively connected with the shaft l, so that the apparatus is in condition for operation of the switch by the electric motor 8. At such time the bevel gear 6 is capable of rotating freely on the shank Or unsplined portion of the sleeve 20, so that this gear is disconnected from the shaft i with the result that the hand lever 15 is disconnected from the switch. In order to disconnect the motor from and connect the hand lever with, the switch, the selector lever 13 is swung through an arc of 180, so that the pin 12 is shifted to the highest point of its path of movement. This pin causes the sleeve 20 to slide upwardly on the shaft l, so that the splines on this sleeve pass out from between the splines in the worm gear 5 and enter the spaces bet-ween the splines in the bevel gear 6. The bevel gear 6 is now connected with the shaft & and the worm gear 5 is disconnected from this shaft, so that the switch may be operated by swinging the hand lever 15 from one extreme position to the other. The operation of the shaft 10 to transfer the switch from motor to hand operation, causes the cam 11 to open circuit controller 19, thereby disconnecting motor 8 from its source of current and so preventing operation of the worm gear 5 while the apparatus is in condition for manual operation of the switch.

The angular lengths of the splines on the sleeve 20 and the angular spaces between the splines in the worm gear 5 and bevel gear 6 are such that the sleeve 20 cannot be shifted unless the position of the hand lever 15 and the position of the worm gear 5 both correspond to the position occupied by the switch.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Railway switch operating apparatus comprising a rotatable switch actuating shaft, a worm wheel and a bevel gear each mounted coi'icentrically with respect to said shaft, a worm meshing with said worm wheel, an electric motor operatively connected with said worm, a second bevel gear meshing with said first bevel gear, a hand lever operatively connected with said second bevel gear, and manually operable means for operatively connecting said shaft with either said worm wheel or said first bevel gear.

2. Railway switch operating apparatus comprising a rotatable switch actuating shaft, a sleeve mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith but slidable longitudinally thereon, an electric motor and a hand lever, means for operatively connecting said shaft with said motor or said hand lever according as said sleeve occupies one longitudinal position or another on the shaft, and manually operable means for sliding said sleeve to one of said positions or the other on said shaft.

3. Railway switch operating apparatus con'iprising a rotatable switch actuating shaft, two gears each mounted concentrically with respect to said shaft, an electric motor operatively connected with one of said gears, a hand lever operatively connected with the other gear, a sleeve mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith but slidable thereon, means associated with said sleeve for operatively connecting one of said gears or the other with said shaft according as the sleeve occupies one longitudinal position or another on the shaft, and manually operable means for sliding said sleeve to one of said positions or the other on said shaft.

4. Railway switch operating apparatus comprising a splined switch actuating shaft, a splined sleeve mounted on said shaft to slide longitudinally thereon, an electric motor and a hand lever, means for operatively connecting said shaft with said motor or said hand lever according as said sleeve occupies one longitudinal position or another on the shaft, and manually operable means for sliding said sleeve to one of said positions or the other on said shaft.

5. Railway switch operating apparatus comprising a splined switch actuating shaft, a splined sleeve mounted on said shaft to slide longitudinally thereon, two gears each mounted concentrically with respect to said shaft, an electric motor operativelv connected with one of said gears, a hand lever operatively connected with the other gear, a sleeve mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith but slidable thereon, means associated with said sleeve for operatively connecting one of said gears or the other with said shaft according as the sleeve occupies one longitudinal position or another on the shaft, and manually operable means for sliding said sleeve to one of said positions or the other on said shaft.

6. Railway switch operating apparatus comprising a rotatable switch actuating shaft, a sleeve mounted on said shaft to ro tate therewith but slidable longitudinally thereon, said sleeve having a concentric groove, a manually operable shifter shaft having an eccentric pin projecting from an end thereof and co-acting with the groove in said sleeve whereby oscillation of said shifter shaft causes longitudinal movement of the sleeve along said switch actuating shaft, an electric motor and a hand lever, and means for operatively connecting said switch actuating shaft with said motor or said hand lever according as said sleeve occupies one longitudinal position or another on said switch actuating shaft.

7. Railway switch operating apparatus comprising a rotatable switch actuating shaft, an electric motor, a hand operated lever, a circuit controller for governing the supply of current to said motor, and manually operable means having two positions in one of which it connects said shaft with said motor and closes said circuit controller, and in the other of which positions it connects said shaft with said hand lever and opens said circuit controller.

8. Railway switch operating apparatus comprising a rotatable switch actuating shaft, a sleeve mounted on said shaft to r0- tate therewith but slidable longitudinally thereon, an electric motor and a hand lever, means for operatively connecting said shaft with said motor or said hand lever accord ing as said sleeve occupies one longitudinal position or another on the shaft, manually operable means for sliding said sleeve to one of said positions or the other on said shaft, and a circuit controller operated by said manually operable means for governing the supply of current to said motor.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM C. MOWHIRTER. 

